Night Changes
by xxMECxx
Summary: When a terrible accident leads to Horseland losing one of their own, and another greatly injured with many more scared how will they all react? What will happen to each of them on this new path life has thrown at them? I suck at summaries, I'm sorry! Rated for events in the first chapter, not a fluffy story in any way
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, Collin here bringing you a new story on my channel! This isn't a story filled with butterflies and flowers, this story as a dark start that (hopefully) gets better throughout the upcoming parts.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognisable characters/places mentioned throughout the story, but I will own any OC's mentioned.**

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Will rode Jimber towards the jump, confident in himself and his closest friend. They left the ground and jumped over the 6ft wide oxer with ease, Will leaning forward when Jimber landed and galloped to the connecting jumps that marked the end of the course. The pair matched their breathing and Will kept relaxed as he moved in time with Jimber as he jumped. Jimber cleared the final jump, the crowd around them roaring when they rode around the arena once.

"Good job boy." Will whispered as he patted Jimber's neck, riding him out of the arena and towards the stable before climbing off him and leading him into his stall. "Now we just need to do that with Bailey and Aztec." Will spoke as he loosened the saddle a notch before leaving the stall to watch the other riders. "I'll see you soon boy." He called before disappearing into the crowd to watch the others.

Shep walked into the stable and towards Jimber's stall, Teeny close behind him. "Excellent job Jimber!" he praised and Jimber lowered his head with embarrassment.

"It was nothing." He dismissed, his southern accent strong. "If I didn't have Will I would have hit a rail, he's so calm." Jimber praised his human.

"You were flying out there! It was so good!" Teeny squealed with excitement.

After 30 minutes Will walked into the stable and tightened Jimber's saddle. "We have the pairs now boy, we have to match Aztec." Will spoke as he led his horse out of the stable before getting onto him and stopping by Bailey. "You nervous?" He asked his cousin.

"Me? No way." Bailey answered with a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry, you two have this!" Sarah encouraged from her place on Scarlet having just finished her run of the course.

"Si amego, you work well together!" Alma added, Molly nodding behind her.

"You won't beat me and Chloe, we're the best there is." Zoe spoke arrogantly with crossed arms.

"You both knocked rails down in your individuals, Will didn't." Sarah pointed out and Will blushed at the compliment.

"Our next pair are Bailey Handler and Will Taggart of Horseland riding their horses Aztec and Jimber." The announcement sounded through the speakers surrounding the arena.

Will walked Jimber forwards with Bailey to his right and slightly behind him, they had arranged that Will would lead as he had more experience with jumping and he'd had Jimber longer than Bailey had Aztec. Will pushed Jimber along and soon both riders were flying around the course, Bailey following Will's lead with practiced ease and they were soon on the last two jumps before things went wrong.

"You with me young 'un?" Jimber called behind him and Aztec snorted as his answer. Jimber flew over the jump in front of him and heard a clattering behind him, Aztec had hit a jump. Jimber kept his eyes forward and on the final jump, calmed by Will on his back as he left the ground before there was a loud cracking from the speakers which startled both Will and Jimber, making the stallion misplace a hoof and fall forward with a leg outstretched. "Will!" He panicked as he saw his human roll on the floor next to him, moving to his knees with terror on his face as Aztec's hooves flew towards is face. Will closed his eyes and he lowered himself to the floor but it didn't stop Aztec hitting his riding hat, making him roll onto his back where Aztecs back hoof crushed his forearm beneath his weight as he landed on it.

Bailey stopped Aztec and jumped off him, running to his barely conscious cousin. "Will!" He cried as he knelt by Will. "Don't worry, someone's coming." He blabbered as his cousin closed his eyes, keeping them closed although Bailey was calling his name. "Will, Will please get up." He forced through his sobs and struggled against the paramedic pulling him out of the way. He stopped struggling when he felt strong, familiar arms around him. "Dad, dad I-" He started but his dad stopped him.

"It's not your fault." He whispered as he watched the scene in front of him, his mind reversing to the same thing on this date eight years ago. He held his breath as paramedics lifted Will onto a stretcher but Mr. Handler didn't see Will, he saw his sister on the stretcher with blood pouring from her mouth and coughing violently. His mind was haunted with memories of his sister, the last competition she competed in before she died in her month long coma. His sister left behind a six year old Will, her husband dying two years prior to her own through a shooting he faced as a police officer.

Will was loaded into an ambulance before it sped towards the hospital with a blaring alarm and flashing lights.

Shep ran into the arena. "Jimber!" He called to the stallion who hadn't moved.

"M-My leg, I can't move my leg Shep." The usually calm stallion panicked and Shep looked at him, seeing that his shoulder bone was sticking out of the skin with blood flowing out of the wound. "How bad is it?" Jimber asked as he moved his hind legs.

"It's not bad Jimber, a little medicine and you'll be jumping again with Will in no time." Shep comforted the distressed stallion but he knew that medicine wasn't going to help his oldest friend.

Dr Martin ran to Jimber with his emergency bag and smoothed the stallion's neck while he scanned him for any injuries, his eyes instantly seeing the broken skin and blood and his heart sank. He turned to his bag and Jimber neighed at him as he prepared a needle of pain relief and inserted it into the vein on the stallion's leg. "Easy boy, easy." He soothed when Jimber picked his head up. He watched as Mrs Handler walked towards him slowly with tears in her eyes for her nephew and the horse laying in front of the jump. A quick breath left her when she saw Jimber, her hands covering her mouth. Dr Martin shook his head no, telling the horse's owner that there was nothing he could do to save him.

She walked forward and fell to her knees by Jimber's head, rubbing circles on his ears and bringing his head onto her knees. She looked at Dr Martin and nodded, the veterinarian soon turned and measured the lethal anaesthetic into a syringe before attaching a needle to the end. "We love you boy, all of us." She whispered and held back tears and the needle broke the skin before emptying its contents into the blood flow and made its way towards Jimber's heart.

Jimber closed his eyes and opened them again. "I'm tired Shep." He whispered to the collie and Shep nuzzled him.

"Go to sleep, we'll be here when you wake up." He encouraged with a smile and watery eyes. Jimber closed his eyes and drifted into dreamland, images of him running through the meadow with Will dancing before his closed eyes. As Jimber took his last breath the Horseland students and workers let tears flow freely down their faces, Jimber had a special place in everyone's heart and he was gone in a matter of minutes.

Shep looked at his friend and knew that he was gone. His heart ached and his looked to the sky before howling raggedly long and loud before looking at Jimber. "Goodbye my friend."

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 **Already a sad start, I cried writing this – Jimber is my favourite horse in Horseland and I feel terrible killing him but I had to ;-; Please don't hate me**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all, we're back with another chapter! Hope you all enjoy**

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"Something's not right." Calypso voiced what she, Button, Chilli and Pepper were feeling. "It's too quiet out der."

"Zoe just walked out and they're stunned by her beauty." Pepper snorted but she didn't believe her own words.

Button opened her mouth to reply when they all heard Shep's howl. "That isn't right." Button spoke eventually but nobody replied.

Silence filled the stable before hooves on concrete echoed off the walls, the horses looking to see Sarah lead Scarlet towards her stall while wiping her eye and Molly leading Aztec to his stall, openly sobbing. "Molly?" Calypso called.

Sarah smoothed Scarlet and looked into her eyes before throwing her arms around her horse and sobbing loudly. Scarlet pushed her head into Sarah and tears left her closed eyes before snapping them open, the sight of the accident playing in her mind and brought a fresh pain into her heart.

Molly left Aztec in his stall and walked to Calypso's stall and walked into her horse, hiding her face in the strong neck of her horse and crying. "Molly?" Calypso asked her human worriedly, she'd never seen Molly like this. "Scarlet? What happened?" She called to the Arabian and saw an empty look in her gaze. She looked to Aztec and he was looking at the floor with a low head. "Aztec?"

The stallion ignored the calls of his name, berating himself within his mind. "Molly, Sarah? Everyone is in the house, if you want to come." Alma called softly before walking to Button and rubbing her neck slowly. Molly and Sarah left their horses and the three girls left the stable with downcast eyes and unshed tears.

"Will somebody tell us what happened?" Chilli demanded with a stomp of his hoof but Scarlet and Aztec were stuck in their own minds.

An orange glow filled the stable before three long shadows danced on the floor. Shep, Angora and Teeny entered the stable before moving to their own space, wanting to be alone. "What's happened Scarlet?" Button asked softly, hating not knowing what was causing her friends and human so much pain.

Scarlet didn't answer and Shep walked to the centre of the stable run and the four clueless horses looked at him. "There was an accident, in the paired jumps." He started and sighed before explaining the accident quickly, his voice thick with sadness. He didn't mention Aztec hitting Will's head and arm.

"That's terrible! Poor Jimber, and Will." Calypso exclaimed. "How are they? Do you know anything?" She asked rapidly. "Does Dr Martin want to keep Jimber with him?"

Shep took a shaky breath. "Will is in the hospital, he's waking up for a few moments before falling asleep so they want to keep him sleeping while he recovers with his head. He hit it pretty hard and it caused him to bleed in his head, and in his body." Shep explained Will's situation from what he'd heard Mr Handler tell the workers and students.

"What about Jimber?" Button asked.

Shep closed his eyes and tears escaped, he took a shaky breath and a sob left his mouth before another followed, eventually leaving him unable to speak. Angora ran to the collie and nuzzled him. "Dr Martin looked at Jimber, and he wasn't in good shape." She started, the usual arrogance she possessed out of mind. "There was nothing he could do for Jimber. He broke his shoulder when he fell and the bone broke through his skin. There was nothing anybody could do for him." She carried on breathlessly. "He, he." A sob stopped her from finishing her sentence before she took a deep breath to collect herself. "Jimber is with Mosey now." She finished before sobs overtook her.

"No." Calypso breathed with wide eyes and took in the state the cat and dog were in, looking at Scarlet and Aztec to see they were crying again. "That can't be, not Jimber."

Everyone was silent as the news sunk into their heads. "Why Jimber? Why does it have to be him?" Pepper exclaimed loudly as her eyes filled with tears. "Not him." She whispered before she started crying. Chilli watched her crying and he looked down, letting his own grievance show before he moved to the wall of his stall and stretched as close to Pepper as he could, the mare seeing what he was doing and she did the same as their noses touched and they felt a slight comfort at the touch.

Calypso moved to the back of her stall and laid down, closing her eyes as she laid her head on the floor and felt an ache in her heart. Button sniffed and moved to the back corner of her stall to rest her head against the wall and hide her tears.

Scarlet left her mind and saw everyone grieving, everyone but Aztec. She opened her stall door and walked towards Aztec with a low head. "Aztec?" She asked and the stallion looked at her with emptiness in his eyes. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. Jimber would tell you that himself."

"How isn't it my fault? He fell before I jumped, but I still jumped anyway. That's the only reason Will is in the hospital right now, because I hit his head and landed on his arm." Aztec blamed himself and turned from Scarlet with a snort.

"You panicked, and you were following Jimber the whole course so it was only natural for you to jump after him." Scarlet comforted and Aztec looked back at her. "This isn't your fault Aztec. You could have been jumping when that speaker broke. I could have. Nobody could have predicted it would happen." She spoke out loud. _'Now we've lost Jimber.'_ She added in her mind.

"But **I** hit Will." Aztec pushed, he was looking for someone to blame for what happened, but there was nobody to blame.

"You couldn't have avoided him. He fell off Jimber and sat up to check on him, you was already jumping so you couldn't do anything apart from stay on the path you were. Will was on you path, like he would have been on mine if I was jumping with them. This isn't you fault Aztec." The stallion looked at the floor and finally let his tears out. Scarlet opened his stall and walked in, pushing her body against his and nuzzling him as they both let their grief show to the world.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, Collin here to bring you another CH of Night Changes! Things start to look up a little in this CH finally**

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The following days at Horseland were spend with the students grooming their horses before they were put to graze in the pasture, none of them feeling confident to ride after witnessing what happened during the competition.

Will was in the hospital in a medically induced coma, his body slowly recovering from all the injuries he obtained in the fall. His grandmother sat by his bedside, watching the screens showing the function of his heart, liver, pancreas and lungs. She looked at Will's face and he was in a deep sleep, his eyes closed lightly with his lips parted a few millimeters. To anyone who didn't know what had happened it would appear he was just sleeping but he wasn't, and there was still a chance he could sleep for the rest of eternity. "Mom?" His grandmother looked towards her son, exhaustion plain on his face.

"There's no change, the doctors said that there may not be a change for a long time. They're hopeful that he will wake up." She informed him as she ran her hand through Will's hair, wishing for the complaint that would have been heard a week ago. "I can't lose him, he's all that we have of Jenny."

Mr Handler nodded as he sat by his mother and put a hand on Will's crushed arm lightly. "He doesn't even know about Jimber. He's going to be heartbroken." He spoke sadly and his mother stared at him.

"This is why I didn't want him to be with horses, they're dangerous to be around. When he wakes up he's going to live with me in the city. He's going to get a degree and work towards overtaking the family business, that's where he belongs. That's where you and Bailey belong." Her words were concrete and there was nothing anybody could say to change her mind.

-= 2 Days Later =-

Sarah, Alma and Molly walked into the tack room in the stable to get their saddles and bridles before walking towards their horses stalls. They each greeted their horse before tacking them and leading them outside, keeping their backs to the arena. "Are you sure Sarah?" Alma asked as she hesitantly put a foot in Button's stirrup.

"Yes Alma. If we don't ride now, we might not get on a horse again." Sarah explained as she pulled herself onto Scarlet's back. "Let's go to the creek, we can rest there for a while." Sarah steered Scarlet towards the creek, keeping to a walk.

The horses felt their riders nerves as they walked towards the creek and they understood what they were nervous about, but it hurt them that their humans thought they would be thrown off them. They got to the creek 30 minutes after leaving the stable and the girls got off their horses, tying their reins to a tree before they sat quietly by the creek. "I wonder how Will is." Sarah stated out loud sadly.

"Does it irritate you that they think we would throw them off us?" Calypso ranted in disbelief.

"Calm down Calypso, they're still shocked about Will. No matter what anyone says, Will is the best rider at Horseland." Scarlet calmed her friend and the horses were quiet, none of them arguing that Will was the best rider. "Jimber's the best at jumps, racing, cross country. He's the only one that can do Western properly." She carried on.

"He was Scarlet, he was the best at all of those." Button corrected sadly.

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-= 2 Months after Accident =-

Will had been hearing muffled voices for a few days, he'd tried to ask them to be quiet but his voice wouldn't come out. An alarm blared loudly by his ear before his world went dark before brightening a moment later. He opened his eyes and looked around the white room he was in, his eyes resting on a couple in the corner. "Mom, dad." He breathed and stood up, making his way to his parents who smiled at him and pulled him into a hug. "I've missed you so much." He mumbled with tears as the scent of his parents engulfed him.

"We've missed you too Will." Jennifer Taggart spoke to her son, holding him in her arms before holding his face in her hands. "You've grown so much." She spoke with a laugh and she smiled at her only child.

"How are you here?" Will asked his parents and they looked at each other.

"Will, you was in an accident two months ago and you've been in a coma since then." His father started to explain and Will stared at him, not remembering the accident. "You're with us because your heart stopped beating."

"What? Why?" Will asked surprised, he wasn't expecting that. He gasped and held his chest when an electric feeling shot through him.

"Can you feel electric in your chest?" Will looked at his mother and nodded. "They're trying to start your heart." His mother sighed. "You have two options baby, you can stay here with us." Will looked at his mother and saw a sad smile on her face. "Or you can live with your uncle, aunt and Bailey again. It's up to you."

Will looked at the floor and thought. "I-I think I want to go back." He looked at his parents guiltily and saw the smiles on their faces. "I'm sorry." He whispered as he hugged his parents.

"Don't be, just live a happy life. We are so proud of you." His mother spoke into his hair and kissed his head. "Don't give Sarah signals that you like her without making it-"

"CLEAR!" A voice shouted and Will's eyes shot open, he was coughing violently and it sent pain through his heaving chest. "We got him!" The same voice announced in disbelief.

Will looked around the room with wild eyes, he was surrounded by doctors and his body ached as his heart raced. "Mom?" He asked fearfully as a doctor pushed him back towards the bed. "NO!" He shouted and shrugged his shoulder from the grasp, whimpering in pain when his shoulder burned.

"Will." He looked to the voice and saw his uncle staring at him. His lip quivered and tried to grab for his uncle but pain filled him while trying. His uncle rushed forward and held Will carefully, rubbing his back as he cried with pain. "It's ok, you're ok." He comforted and Will closed his eyes after pain relief was given via his IV. His uncle lowered him to the bed and tears filled his eyes, Will had woken up.

The doctors left the room, leaving the pair alone and Mr Handler pulled his phone and called his wife. "Will woke up." He said with a smile, smoothing Will's overgrown hair as his wife cried happily on the other end of the phone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello guys, Collin here and welcome to the FOURTH part of Night Changes, thank you for the reviews and follows! Hop you all enjoy this part :D (If you're wondering why I start off like that I do YouTube and I have a habit of writing/speaking intros like that)**

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A week after Will woke up for the first time was spent with small conversations with him, asking him his birthday and where he lived to see if there was any brain damage but he could answer everything. He wanted to know what was happening with everyone, and what happened to put him in hospital. Mr Handler told him he had an accident at a competition but failed to mention Jimber, he wanted Will to heal himself before breaking his heart.

Will laid in the hospital bed and pulled the IV in his arm, his grandmother pulling his hand away. "That thing is the reason you're not in pain right now." She scolded him softly and Will nodded, huffing when his hair fell into his eyes. "When you get out of here, you're going to come with me and attend Rheese Heathe. There's a place for you waiting in the business major." She told him and Will stared at her.

"Why? What about Horseland?" He asked quickly. "What about the horses? And Jimber?"

His grandmother looked him in the eyes and sighed. "Will, when you had the accident Jimber was hurt badly." She watched Will's face turn to worry.

"Why didn't you tell me! I need to see him!" Will exclaimed.

"Will, nothing could be done for him." Will's eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out what his grandmother meant.

His eyes widened before he spoke. "D-Do you mean he-?" The question wasn't finished but his grandmother nodded anyway, knowing the end. "No, no you're lying. Jimber isn't- Jimber's in his stall." He denied but he knew that his grandmother wouldn't lie about that. He felt a pain in his chest and tears collected behind his closed eyes. Will bit his lip but a sob escaped anyway, closely followed by another and another. "I never got to say goodbye." He cried and tried to shrug away his grandmother but melted into her embrace soon after. "H-He must have been so scared." Unshed tears collected in his grandmother's eyes as she held her grandson, her heart aching at the obvious and overdue grief.

-= 2 Months Later =-

Will pulled his vest top over his head and looked at himself in the mirror, he didn't recognise himself. He didn't have the light in his eyes, the smile on his face and his eyes were red from his breakdowns over his horse, every night dreaming of competitions they competed in together and winning before Jimber would collapse with fear in his eyes as he was euthanized, taken away from Will and Horseland to soon.

Will splashed water on his face to clear the tear streaks before he left the bathroom and walked into his hospital room, seeing his uncle and Bailey waiting for him. "Come on cous! Everyone's waiting to see you!" Bailey told him with a grin.

"Not everyone." Will stated with a sad smile and Bailey instantly felt guilty. "Let's go then, I'm sick of this place." He spoke as he moved towards the door, he'd been discharged this morning and he could go whenever he wanted to. Bailey nodded and followed Will, taking in the Will held his right arm to his stomach and he walked with a slightly arched back, curling into himself slightly.

"Well, it's nice to see you leaving with your family Will! I don't mean that it's good that you're leaving, I don't mean it's not bad either but-" Will's nurse started and Will smiled at her, knowing what she meant. "You know what I mean right?" Will nodded with a smile. "If your arm or head hurts at all just call and ask to speak with me. Have fun with your freedom Will." She waved at the group as they left before doing paperwork she had.

The group got in the Horseland's van and started towards the stable, Will ringing his hands as they got closer. "You ok Will?" Bailey asked when he noticed and Will nodded with a fake smile. "Tell you what, we'll just get out of the van and go to your room to watch TV! Sound good?" Will just nodded and looked out of the window.

All too soon for Will they arrived at Horseland and his heart raced as he approached the last place he'd seen his friend. The van stopped in front of the house and Will took a deep breath before undoing his seat belt and opening the door to get out. His feet hit the rubble and he looked to the arena to see a few kids practicing dressage while other horses were in the pasture, just like any other day.

"You ok?" His uncle asked as he clasped a hand on Will's shoulder.

"Yeah, it just feels strange to be here." Will explained and his uncle understood. A barking came from behind him and he turned to see Shep running at him. "Hey boy." He greeted happily as the dog jumped onto him, covering every inch of his face with a kiss. "It's good to see you to Shep." Will roughed Shep's fur and the day barked happily with a wagging tail. "Do you want to stay with me tonight?" He asked and Shep barked in response.

Bailey and his father watched as Will interacted with Shep after nearly 5 months apart and they saw more life in Will in those seconds than they had since he woke up 2 months ago. "Hey Bailey!" Bailey looked behind him and saw Sarah, Molly and Alma riding their horses towards the house after finishing a trek. Bailey waved at them and they dismounted before walking towards him. "Will." Sarah announced shocked.

Will turned to face the girls with a smile. "Hey Sarah, Molly, Alma." Will looked at each of them in turn before looking down at the attention seeking Shep. "I guess he really missed me right?" Will asked nobody as he smoothed the dog again. Scarlet whinnied and Will froze, slowly turning to face the horse with wide eyes. He backed away and stumbled, falling to the floor.

"Will?" Bailey asked but Will wasn't there, his mind was back to the accident.

His breathing sped as he saw Jimber misplace a hoof, he felt himself hit the floor before looking to Jimber before a shadow covered him. He saw Aztec flying towards him and heard a hoof hitting a riding hat and he saw the underside of a horse before his bone shattered beneath the weight of a back hoof.

"Will?" Will stared at Bailey kneeling by him before pulling his hand back when something touched it, turning to see that it was Shep. He swallowed and pulled Shep towards him, hiding his face in the collie's long coat. "Hey, let's go watch a film in your room hey? Shep can come with us to." Bailey offered and Will nodded, slowly standing up and turning his back to the horses before walking with Bailey towards the house and his room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, Collin here to bring you another chapter of Night Changes! I hope you all enjoy this one and let me know what think in a review :D**

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-= Same morning as last CH from animals POV =-

Sarah, Molly and Alma walked into the stable and tacked up their horses quickly. Everyone had gotten back to riding but nobody decided to train for jumping competitions. "I can't believe Will is finally coming back, it's been 5 months since he's been here." Alma stated and the horses looked at each other while Shep sat upright.

"Yeah, I guess we'll see him later on. Let's take them on a nice trail ride, Dr Martin said that they're putting weight on because they're not getting enough exercise." Sarah said sadly, she wanted to be there when Will got back. The girls lead their horses out of the stable before mounting them and riding towards the lake they went camping by.

"Will's coming back." Shep said excitedly and his tail wagged. "It's been so long since we saw him." He mused and he saw a guilty look on Aztec's face. "Stop blaming yourself Aztec." Shep scolded slightly and the stallion snorted in reply. "Don't snort at me Aztec." Shep warned.

"Sorry Shep. I haven't seen him since I kicked him, I wonder if he hates me." Aztec expressed his worries and looked downwards.

"He doesn't hate you Aztec, he's smart for a human. He knows that you didn't mean what happened, I'm sure of it." Shep assured the stallion and he smiled in thanks and the pair fell into a light conversation before they heard a van pull up.

Doors opened and closed, feet connecting with gravel. "You ok Will?" They heard the owner asked and Shep stared at Aztec with joy.

"Will's home!" Shep stated needlessly and darted out of the stable towards his missing master with his tail wagging and he barked to let them know he was coming. Will leant down and Shep put his paws on his shoulder and kissed every inch of his face, he was overjoyed to see him after so long. Will roughed his fur and it was something that only Shep allowed Will to do. Shep looked as Sarah called Will's name and Will stood up. "You've seen her, you haven't seen me!" Shep told Will and jumped onto him, enacting a laugh and more attention from Will.

Scarlet neighed in greeting and Will froze and became unresponsive to everyone. "Will, Will what's wrong?" Shep asked panicked but he didn't get a response. After 5 minutes Will came back and pulled his hand away from Shep and it hurt the collie, but he felt the fear rolling off Will in waves and he instantly forgave his master.

Bailey led Will towards the house and called Shep behind him, the dog instantly running to match paces with Will and looked up at him worriedly when he wrapped his arms around his stomach and hunched forward slightly.

They walked to Will's room and Will sat on the bed as Bailey pulled a film off the shelf and set the DVD player up. "Shep, come up boy." Will called him as he tapped the bed, Shep jumping up and nuzzling into Will as soon as he had the chance.

Bailey sat on the other side of Shep and the boys watched a film about living displays in a museum. "I'm sorry about reacting to the horses like that, I just felt everything I felt in the accident." Will apologised softly and Shep looked up at him, seeing sadness fill his deep blue eyes.

"Don't worry, you haven't seen a horse since then. How about we watch lessons tomorrow to get you used to them again?" Bailey offered and Will nodded before staring straight at the screen.

Hours passed and soon a bell rang around Horseland to indicate it was time for dinner. Bailey got off the bed and smiled at his nervous cousin. "You'll be fine." Will got off the bed and followed Bailey to the lunch room, collecting a tray of food with thanks and sat at a table with Bailey. Students at Horseland smiled and waved at him and he blushed at each greeting.

Shep walked out of the house and into the stables, where the horses were all in their stalls talking and eating their oats. "Shep!" Scarlet exclaimed when she saw the dog walk in. "How's Will? I didn't mean to scare him, I was just happy to see him." Scarlet explained guiltily.

"Don't be sorry Scarlet, he just hasn't seen any horses since the accident." Shep looked at Jimber's still empty stall and sighed, still missing the stallion. "Will said he felt everything today that he felt when he fell. He's still healing."

"Why would the hospital leave him come back if he was hurt Shep?" Teeny asked as she walked towards him.

"He's healed physically Teeny, but he hasn't healed mentally. The mind is a wicked thing if you are surrounded by memories of an accident. Will had the accident in the arena, and most of the horses were there." Shep explained with a sad sigh.

"Hey boy, are you looking after Will for us?" Alma asked as the smoothed Shep's head and walked towards the tack room.

"I'd better go find Will. I'm staying with him tonight so I'll see you in the morning." Shep told the horses and Teeny as he walked towards the house, finding Will back in his room looking at pictures on his computer desk before he sighed and put the picture face down on the desk and wiped his eyes.

Shep whined and Will faced the dog. "Hey Shep, you're my good boy." He greeted the dog before laying on his bed, Shep jumping to lay with him. "I miss him Shep. I couldn't be with him, or say goodbye. Why did it have to be him? God, he must have been so scared and I wasn't there." Will said before he covered his eyes with his right arm, tears falling out of his eyes silently.

"Oh Will, I'm so sorry." Shep apologized and laid his head on Will's chest, regretfully it was the only support he could give the grieving boy.


	6. Chapter 6

Will had been back home for a week and he fell into a routine of helping plan the feed for the horses, play with Shep and Teeny, help his uncle run errands and he talked his grandmother into letting him take an online business course so he due to start the course within a month. Shep had hardly left Will's side, owing it to his master and Jimber to do everything he could to prevent harm coming to Will.

"Will?" Bailey asked as he opened Will's bedroom door. "I'm going into town with my folks, you sure you'll be ok here by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, I have Shep to protect me right boy?" Shep barked as a yes and Will laughed. "See?" Bailey smiled at him before waving and leaving the room. "Looks like it's just us boy, what should we do first? How about some fetch?" Will asked as he slapped his legs and Shep jumped off the bed excitedly and followed Will down the stairs and outside.

It was a Sunday so no students had been there all day, leaving the Walker's groom, feed and water the horses boarded at Horseland. Will threw the ball for Shep and he caught it mid-air before taking it back to Will.

Will grinned as he watched Shep running around and jumping when there was a commotion from the stable. "Here Shep." He called with a shaky voice. "L-Let's go back in boy." He encouraged before a neigh came from the stable and Shep looked from Will to the stable, fighting an internal battle of where to go. Shep whined and took a step towards the stable and Will took a deep breath, forcing himself to walk towards the stable. He stopped by the sliding doors before holding his breath and sliding the door across slowly, walking in with closed eyes.

Button looked to the stable door and she was shocked to see Will there. "Will!" She called and the horses looked at Will as he took hesitant steps with clamped eyes. "Shep, what's wrong? Is there something with his eyes?" She asked the collie quickly.

"He's scared." Shep answered and sat against Will's leg, licking his wrist.

"Why? We're not going to hurt him." Chili asked offended.

"The last time he was this close to a horse he ended in hospital Chili." Pepper snapped at him and watched as Will breathed deeply, she'd always liked Will.

Will let out a shaky breath and opened his eyes to see every horse staring at him. He swallowed thickly and looked towards Calypso when she kicked her stall door, flinching at the sound. "Calypso!" Shep growled as he nuzzled Will's shaking form.

"It's Scarlet Shep! She just laid down and she won't get up!" She told him panicked and Shep looked to the mare's stall, not seeing button there. He barked and ran to the stall, turning to bark and whine at Will.

"What is it boy?" Will asked and shakily walked to the dog, looking into the stall and seeing Scarlet laying on the floor and tensing in pain every so often. He opened the stall door and walked in, leaving the door open behind him. Scarlet lifted her head to look at him before letting her head fall down and she breathed out in pain. "W-What i-is it girl?" Will asked as he put a shaky hand on her neck.

"Scarlet, what's wrong?" Shep asked as he sat by her, watching Will shakily smooth the mare's neck.

"I don't know. I-t's my stom- ah." Scarlet groaned and tries to get up, stopping when she felt slight pressure on her neck to keep her down.

"Stay down girl, we'll get you help." Will soothed her and called the vet who would be there in an hour at the soonest. He moved to kneel by her when she lifted her head and neighed in pain, stretching her legs out. "Easy girl, I'm here." Will comforted her and ran his hand down her neck and over her stomach, feeling her stomach harden when she grunted in pain. He looked at her face but stiffened when he saw Jimber staring at him in pain. He moved to back away but a cry of pain broke him from his mind and he sat by Scarlet's head, pulling it onto his lap and massaging her ears. He stayed with her before the vet walked in, following Shep to Scarlet's stall. "Is she gonna be ok?" Will asked hurriedly.

"I don't know Will, we need to figure out what's going on first." Dr Martin told him gently before looking over Scarlet carefully, applying slight pressure to her stomach when she tensed and stretched again. "I think I know what it is. Did you cover her?" Will stared in shock.

"N-Not that I know of, is she?" Is question trailed of when a splashing sound came from Scarlet's hind end and red water left her body.

"Yes, and she's having it now." The vet stated before the mare's breathing stuttered as a contraction hit her. "There's nothing we can do, we just have to wait."

Will sat with Scarlet as her contractions got worse, putting his own worries to the back of his mind because a horse needed him. "Shep." Scarlet groaned as another contraction hit her hard. "I want this to end."

"It will soon Scarlet, just hold on." Shep comforted her.

Will continued to massage her ear and he soothed her as she had another contraction, a feeling that she needed to push overcame her. "Shep, I-I need to push or something." She whimpered and she grit her teeth as she pushed, letting out a grunt when she stopped pushing.

"That's it girl. Come on, do it again." Will encouraged softly and Scarlet bore down with all she could, sighing in relief when pressure behind her stopped. "Good girl Scarlet!" Will praised and Scarlet felt something hit her so she moved onto her stomach and looked behind her, seeing a soaked foal struggling to keep its head up and moving its legs around.

"Oh my gosh." Scarlet whispered to herself as she took in the image of her baby, forcing herself onto unstable legs before turning to clean the foal. "Hello there." She told it and she felt unconditional love for the little creature as it made a noise.

"I think we should go and set up a bigger stall for them." Will suggested to Dr Martin and the pair left the stall to clear out a bigger stall, Will freezing when he realised the only empty stall that was large was Jimber's. He opened the stall, the ground and walls were completely bare apart from the hook that once held Jimber's brush. Tears filled his eyes but he composed himself before getting a bag of straw from the side of Jimber's stall and scattering it around thickly for Scarlet and her foal would be comfortable. "How will we move the foal?" He asked Dr Martin.

"We'll move Scarlet first, the foal should follow." He explained and Will walked into the tack room to pick up a head collar and lead rope.

"Hey there girl, let's move you two so you have somewhere more roomy." Will spoked softly as he walked into Scarlet's stall, seeing the foal standing wobbly by its mother. He moved slowly and put the head collar on Scarlet before gently encouraging her to follow him, walking slowly so the foal could stay in Scarlet's sight.

After 5 minutes the pair was settled in the bigger stall and Will watched them interacting with a smile. He heard footsteps and saw his uncle walk in to the stable. "Will, what happened? Why is Dr Martin here?" He asked quickly before registering that Will was in the stable, in front of Jimber's stall. "What are you doing here anyway?" He asked gently.

"I was playing with Shep and there were noises in here, Scarlet was laying on the floor in pain so I called Dr Martin. Come see why." He tilted his head and looked into the stall again.

His uncle walked to him and saw Scarlet standing up, and something lying beside her. "Wow." He whispered as he realised it was a foal. He looked at his nephew and felt pride, he'd seen Will have mild panic attacks when a horse got to close to the fence during a lesson and now he was standing by a stall in a stable filled with horses.

Maybe things were finally getting better.


	7. Chapter 7

-= Next Morning =-

Scarlet smiled down at her baby as it slept peacefully before she sighed. "You awake Scarlet?" Button asked quietly and she walked to the stall door. "Congratulations Scarlet. But, why didn't you tell us?" The question caught everyone attention.

"I honestly didn't even know, I mean I felt that I was gaining weight but the kids hardly took us out because of Will." She explained. "I didn't expect Will to be like that, after these last few weeks I mean." Scarlet admitted and the horses agreed sadly.

"Well, he put you in Jimber's stall." Pepper drawled out. "He must be over Jimber." She concluded.

"Don't you dare say that Pepper!" Shep scolded her harshly as he walked in. "You don't know the pain he is in because of it. When Bailey isn't in his room he's looking at pictures of Jimber, and watching videos of competitions they did together. He's cried himself to sleep with a picture of Jimber every night since he's been here! What he did last night for Scarlet wasn't for himself, didn't you see how hard it was for him to even come **in** here? Or were you to worried about yourself to notice?" Shep's words were angry and biting. "When he got in his room last night he had a panic attack because of what he'd done for Scarlet. Then he apologised to a picture of Jimber, he was sorry that his stall wasn't empty anymore but Scarlet needed more room. He promised that he wasn't trying to replace Jimber." Shep finished and tears were in his eyes.

Pepper lowered her head and looked away from the angry dog. There was a stirring behind Scarlet and she looked to see her baby lifting its head up. She turned around and nuzzled it, laughing quietly when it pulled the hair over her eyes. She looked at the door when there was a scratching and Shep's head was peaking over the door. "You can jump the door if you want Shep."

Shep backed away and jumped over the door with some effort and he took in the beautiful foal. "It's so beautiful Scarlet." He watched as the foal stood up shakily. "Do you know what it is?" He asked as he watched it feed from Scarlet.

"I'm pretty sure it's a girl." She answered watching her baby with love.

"Well, she is gorgeous Scarlet." The mare gave her thanks and the stable was quiet as the sun slowly rose. "May I ask who the father is?"

Scarlet looked at Shep before looking to the sky through the window that was in the stall. "Jimber." She answered quietly and looked at her daughter.

She was a gangly, dark brown foal with a white sock on her front left leg. The same size and place that Jimber's was. She also had a light brown stripe going down her face, she looked a perfect mix of Scarlet and Jimber.

"Oh Scarlet." Calypso started when she saw Scarlet unhappy but everyone's attention was caught when they heard voices heading to the stable.

"Sarah! Wait up." Bailey called as he ran out of the house, quickly catching up with his three friends. "Sarah, something happened last night with Scarlet. She-" He started but Sarah turned away from him, running into the stable and towards her horses stall but she wasn't in there.

"What happened Bailey?" She asked him when he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen for a minute! Last night we had to call Dr Martin in for Scarlet-" Tears filled Sarah's eyes, fearing the worst.

"Nothing bad happened, don't worry Sarah." The kids looked towards the boy entering the stable cautiously.

"Will?" Molly asked, watching as he flinched when Calypso neighed.

"I was out with Shep and Calypso must have been kicking her stall door so I came in here and Scarlet was on the floor in pain. I called Dr Martin and he came in to see her, and he asked had we covered her." Will expected Sarah to know what he meant. But she looked confused. "Sarah, last night Scarlet had a foal." Will told her slowly and shock filled Sarah, as well as Molly and Alma. "We moved her to a bigger stall so she could have more room."

"Where is she?" Sarah demanded. "What stall?"

Bailey looked at Will to see he'd looked at the floor. "Will moved her to-" Bailey was interrupted by a squeal.

"Aww! Look Chloe!" Zoe squealed and the kids looked to see she was pointing into Jimber's stall.

"I know sis, it's so adorable!" Chloe cooed.

Sarah walked towards the sisters and saw Scarlet. "Scarlet girl, I was so worried when you-" Sarah stopped as she noticed the foal. Sarah gasped as she watched it moved behind Scarlet to hide. "Don't be scared."

"Sarah, you won't be able to ride Scarlet for a few weeks, her body needs to recover. We didn't know she was pregnant so she didn't have any medication or the proper feed through it." Will told her as he walked behind her.

Sarah looked at him before looking at Scarlet when she nosed her. Sarah smiled and smoothed the mare's nose before sighing. "I'll have to tell my parents, they bought her for me so they should know what happened." She told them before leaving the stable.

Will stood back as the kids fawned over the foal and jumped when his hair was tugged, it went unnoticed by everyone and Will turned to where his hair was pulled from. He froze when he saw Aztec but he breathed deeply and made himself put a shaky hand on the horse's nose, walking close to him when he lowered his head and pushed into his hand. Will quietly greeted the horse and Aztec nickered to him softly and slowly put his head on Will's shoulder, bringing him closer to him and nickered when Will wrapped his arms around his neck.

Bailey saw his cousin and horse hugging and he grinned, bumping Molly and Alma telling them to be quiet. They watched as Will hugged Aztec and all hoped that this would be a turning point for him.

Will took a deep breath. "Bails?" He called and turned to see Bailey, Molly and Alma looking at him. "Do you think, do you think I could get on Aztec?" He asked tentatively and Bailey nodded, completely shocked that Will suggested it. "I'm sick of being scared of horses, before the accident I had an invitation to join America's Olympic jumping team." He said with a bitter laugh.

Bailey shook himself out of shock. "Yeah, yeah no problem Will. I'll tack him for you after dinner." He answered his cousin.

"C-Can I tack him myself? Now?" Will asked as he pulled away from Aztec and Bailey saw that he would do it whether Bailey said yes or no, so he nodded. "Thanks." Will smiled gratefully and walked towards the tack room, picking up Aztec's saddle and bridle.


	8. Chapter 8

Aztec watched Will walk into the tack room and, like the kids, he was shocked that Will wanted to do it then and there. "He is full of surprises." Calypso announced as Will disappeared.

"I hope he isn't going in to this too fast." Scarlet expressed her worry and the horses agreed, as well as Shep who watched as Will put the saddle over Aztec's stall door before opening the door and walking in.

Will stood tall and tacked Aztec but the animals could sense his nerves and frustration. He grabbed Aztec's bridle and lead the horse towards the lesson arena, stopping him in the centre of the arena and he froze when what he was doing caught up with him. "Bailey, c-can you help me?" He asked his cousin and Bailey ran towards Will. "Can you help me up?" Bailey nodded and cupped his hands so Will could left himself upwards, his legs like jelly as he sat on Aztec. "Wow, this is high up." He commented as he saw the world through horseback again.

Bailey backed away slightly but stayed close enough to help if he was needed. Will squeezed Aztec's sides, making the stallion walk forward and fear coursed through him and quickly stopping Aztec. "You ok Will?" Bailey asked worriedly but kept his distance, knowing his cousin needed to do this alone.

"Y-Yeah, j-just forgot what it's like." Will answered with a shaky voice. _"You can do this, you've been riding since you could walk!"_ He thought to himself and pushed Aztec to a walk, directing him to walk around the arena several times while he got used to the feeling after so long. "Good boy." He praised Aztec and the horse snorted in recognition.

Will relaxed in the saddle and let out a breath before pushing Aztec into a trot, bouncing in the saddle before he got into the rhythm of Aztec's stride. Will slowly relaxed in the saddle again and smiled as the wind blew over his face, the feeling of freedom filling him. He laughed and moved the reins to one hand. "Good boy Jimber, good boy!" He praised as he slapped the horse's neck, looking down and saw Aztec before the accident played in his mind. He tensed and panic filled him and he pulled the reins violently, bringing Aztec to an abrupt stop and he surprisingly didn't fall off. Once they stopped Will covered his face with both his hands and tried to collect himself, fighting off a panic attack.

Aztec stopped when the reins were pulled and he looked up at Will to see him trembling and covering his face. "Will?" He asked but he started trembling more. "Shep! Bailey! Anyone!" He called loudly and panicking, he didn't know what to do.

"Will!" Bailey screamed as he jumped the arena fence and sprinted towards his cousin and horse. He put a hand on Will's knee and called his name but Will was unresponsive.

Will moved his hands away from his face and focused on breathing to calm his racing heart. He looked down at Bailey and saw the worried expression on his face. "I'm sorry, I just thought I was riding Jimber. Then I saw the accident again." Will explained and Bailey felt sorry for his cousin.

"Let's get you off for today, try again tomorrow." He offered.

"No, I want to try again. If I get off now I won't get back on a horse." Will refused before moving Aztec to a walk, Bailey watching him go sadly.

-= 2 Weeks later =-

Will woke up to Shep beside him, the collie had claimed that spot since he got home. He ran his hand through the dogs coat and thought back over the last 2 weeks, he'd been riding Aztec whenever he could and he was slowly getting his confidence back while riding and he was getting into a canter single handily. He had been given the responsibility of caring for Scarlet and her foal because Sarah's parents saw no point in her attending Horseland while she couldn't have lessons.

Will got out of bed and got dressed before getting breakfast from the kitchen and leaving the house to care for Scarlet and her foal, who he'd started calling Blaze after the light brown stripe on her head. He walked into the stall and little Blaze nuzzled him, rearing happily when he faced her. "Good morning to you little lady." He greeted with a laugh before smoothing her and Scarlet. "You're doing amazing girl, let's get you two to the field today." Scarlet neighed as she nodded her head. "Do you think you and Blaze can follow me without a head collar?" He asked with a smile before opening the stall door and walking towards the field, an arm around Blaze's neck with Scarlet walking behind them. "There you go." He announced as they got into the field and Scarlet nickered before cantering to the centre and rolling on her back, Blaze following her mother while kicking excitedly.

Will left the field and walked in to the stable to prepare the feed for the other horses before Bailey walked in. "Morning." He greeted and Will smiled at him. "My dad wants to talk to you about something, don't ask me what it's about." Bailey told him with his arms in the air.

Will thanked Bailey before leaving for the house where his uncle was. He knocked on the office door and waited to be called in before opening the door and smiling at his uncle, confused when he saw his aunt standing by him. "Bailey said you wanted to talk to me?" The statement came out as a question and his uncle indicated for him to sit on the chair opposite him.

Mr Handler looked at his wife beside himself. "Will, every riding facility in this area have been contacted by a rescue centre." He started and Will nodded slowly, no idea where this was going. "Last month they were called to a property with 60 malnourished and neglected horses, they've gotten the horses back to health and they're contacting everyone to see if they want to take one of the horses." The words sunk in and Will stared open mouthed at his uncle. "I haven't answered, but I wanted to ask you of you wanted to have another horse. You've gotten better at riding since the accident and I think Aztec is starting to get a little worn out. We've got pictures of the horses if you want to look through them, but if you don't think your ready don't worry." His uncle told him gently.

Will stared at his hands, ringing his fingers together. "C-Can I see them?" He asked quietly and his uncle turned the computer monitor towards him and scrolled through the pictures he'd been sent, stopping when he saw Will's eyes widen. Will looked at the horse on the screen, it was a four year old light bay Akhal Teke mare with marks where she'd obviously been scarred by a whip.

"Will?" He looked at his aunt and saw a gentle smile. "Do you want me to reply about him?" Her voice was soft, showing that he could refuse the offer. Will bit his lip and thought about the commitment that he'd be making. Eventually he nodded his head and Mr Handler smiled at him, turning the screen towards him and emailing the rescue centre about the mare.


	9. Chapter 9

The rescue centre replied to Mr Handler's enquiry after an hour, confirming that the mare was still available and asking when the best time would be for them to pick her up. He replied that they would pick her up and pay for her in two days as they had to get new tack, a rug, feed and training equipment – as well as getting a stall ready for her to board at the stable. The centre replied with her measurements so they would be able to buy the correct size tack for her.

"Do you want to go and get things now Will? We'll have to go tomorrow if we don't today." Mr Handler asked Will.

"I-I need to go to my room for a while. This needs to sink in." He told them before leaving abruptly and running for his room, leaving his aunt and uncle worried in the office.

Will sat heavily on his bed and looked at pictures of Jimber on his wall before grabbing one off the shelf. "I'm not trying to replace you boy, I promise. You'll always be my number one boy, and you have a special place in my heart. I could never forget you." He was close to tears at the end of his promise and his aunt walked into the room, pulling him into a gentle embrace. "I'm scared about forgetting him, being too busy to think about him." Will expressed his worries quietly to his aunt.

"You're never going to forget Jimber, nobody expects you to." She soothed him as she rubbed his back. "Will, nothing could have changed what happened that day. You could have been killed, you died in the hospital and by some miracle your heart started to beat again. Your uncle and I miss your parents and they're always in our hearts, just the same as they're in your heart. Jimber is in our hearts, nobody will forget him but we need to start healing." Will rested his head on her shoulder and thought about her words.

"Can- do you think we could go and get things today?" He asked quietly.

"Of course we can Will, have some time alone and come to us in 15 minutes so we can go." His aunt kissed his head before smiling at him as she left, closing the door behind her.

30 minutes later Will left his room and met his uncle by their van and returned his smile with a nervous one of his own. He got in the van and buckled his seatbelt before the pair made their way towards the country shop on the edge of the city. "Your aunt said you're worried about forgetting Jimber." Will looked out of the window and watched the trees as the van sped past them. "You're not going to forget about him, I haven't forgotten about my first horse." Will didn't respond so the rest of the drive was filled with silence. They pulled into the car park and left the van, Will walking a few steps behind his uncle.

"First thing we need is a head collar and lead rope." Mr Handler told will so the pair walked down an aisle filled with various head collars, all a different size, style and colour. Mr Handler picked up a pink flowery head collar. "How bout this for the mare?" He joked and Will laughed.

"No, just because it's a girl doesn't mean she'll be having pink." He answered with a laugh and raked his eyes over more of the head collars. He grabbed a thin black head collar and showed his uncle. "Do you think this'll fit her?" He asked and his uncle nodded with a smile as Will walked down to the lead ropes, picking up two black and white lead ropes, tying them safely and clipping the ends to the head collar. "Bridle now, right?" Will asked and his uncle nodded, walking towards the aisle holding to many types of bridles.

"Do you want a classical and western bridle and saddle?" Mr Handle asked his nephew carefully and Will sighed.

"Both I guess, or I'll be trying to ride western with classical things." He answered as he looked at every part of the bridle he'd have to buy, picking up every required piece in a tan colour. He did the same for a western bridle but he took his time, knowing that he would be riding western a lot. They moved on to the saddles, picking up a tan western saddle and a tan classical saddle. "Wow, this is going to be a lot." He told his uncle as they picked out a single girth, stirrups and stirrup straps.

"You'll be using these for years Will, we need good quality things." His uncle dismissed before walking towards the grooming sets, picking up a black set as well as fly spray and a hoof pick. "Now for the food." They looked at each food available and found a food specifically designed for Akhal Teke's so they picked up five bags, putting them onto a trolley they were forced to use when they picked every piece for a classical bridle. "Is there anything else?" His uncle muttered.

"Food buckets, saddle pads, bits for the bridle, blanket and wraps in case she needs leg support." Will answered as he pushed the trolley down different aisles, finally stopping it at the payment desk after two hours in the shop.

"That'll be $2500 please." The cashier announced and Mr Handler handed her a membership card as well as coupons he'd collected through the year. "$100 please." The cashier asked for with a grimace at the reduction. They paid and hauled everything into the van before driving in to town and eating in a pizza house, picking up a few groceries before heading back to Horseland after being out for five hours.

"Want help putting everything together? We can do it in the tack room when we get back. Everyone should be home by now and Bailey's starting his exams next week so he's revising. Nobody will know why they're there until we get her." Mr Handler offered as they pulled up to the house after sunset. Will nodded gratefully and helped move the new tack in before they sat down and pieced everything together, waxing and cleaning each new piece of tack because they were over cautious of any bacteria that could cause an illness in the horses.

They finished putting the tack together and settling everything in its own place before feeding the horses and moving Scarlet and Blaze into their now permanent stall before feeding Scarlet her oats with powdered vitamins mixed in.

They walked into the house and said goodnight before walking to their own rooms. Will walked into his room and pulled on his pyjamas, noticing a folded piece of paper on his pillow and opening it to see the horse he was getting in under 48 hours. "I hope this is the right thing Shep." He told the collie before lying next to him and turning off his bedside lamp, falling asleep instantly.


	10. Chapter 10

Two days after buying the tack Will woke up with knots in his stomach and took extra time in the shower before getting dressed. The day before they had to drive back to the equestrian shop to buy a new hat for Will, his hat had split in the accident and he'd been using Bailey's hat.

"Well, today's the day Shep." He spoke to the collie before leaving the house, feeding the horses and waiting for everyone to take their horses into the arena to practice dressage before cleaning the stalls, moving Scarlet and Blaze to the field before setting up new bedding for the horses.

He put a thick layer of shaving on the floor of the stall before spreading straw and providing a bag of the specialised breed feed and water. He brushed down the stable aisle and cleared the wasted straw and shavings from the floor. He leant against the field fence and looked over his shoulder at Blaze when she pulled his hair. "Hey you." He greeted and she burred before running towards a grazing Scarlet.

"Hey Will! Where were you yesterday?" Bailey asked as he dismounted Aztec, tying him by the reins to the arena fence. Molly and Alma did the same and walked towards Will.

"I helped your dad get more animal feed, and we needed more cleaning equipment anyway." Will answered, not lying but not fully telling the truth. The group talked and looked towards the road when a van pulling a horse box stopped by the house.

"We have a new student? Dad didn't say anything." Bailey asked out loud, confused.

Will pushed himself off the fence and walked into the tack room, grabbing the new head collar and lead rope before clipping the spare rope onto the bridle rack. He took a deep breath before leaving the stable and walking towards the man talking to his uncle. "Ah, here he is. This is Will, Will this is Mr Tucker." Will shook the man's hand shakily. "Let's go inside and sign all the paperwork."

After signing forms Mr Tucker turned to Will. "You're her official owner?" He asked and Will nodded. "Ok, then I need you to answer some questions for me." He questioned Will about his riding experience, what he was planning to train the horse for amongst other things. "Finally, what do you plan to name her?"

Mr Handler looked at his nephew, he was curious about the name to. "Her name is Skye." He answered with a blush and the older men smiled at him.

"Let's get Skye unloaded shall we? Get her settled in to her new stall." Mr Tucker announced when the final document was signed and Will nodded, his mind filling with worry all of a sudden.

The group walked towards the horse box and saw Bailey, Molly and Alma watching them from their places in the arena. The horse trailer was opened and the mare looked behind her at the noise, allowing Will to see her for the first time in person. He walked in to the trailer and ran his hand up her back lightly. "Hello Skye, let's just get this on you hey?" He told her as he moved the current head collar around her neck and replaced it with the new one before encouraging her backwards and off the trailer. He led the mare towards the stall and took the head collar off when she was in the stall.

He closed the stall door and watched her smell the hay and the feed before she ate slowly. Will pulled a carrot out of his pocket and offered it to the mare on an open palm, smiling when she took it. "Hey Skye, I'm Will." He introduced himself and the mare snorted at him. "Hey, how about we go to the field and do some lunging after dinner?" He suggested quietly and the mare shook her head, dipping her head to drink some water. Will smiled before he left the stable, looping the head collar and rope around the bars of the stall and heading towards the house for dinner.

Shep walked in to the stable when Will left and ventured towards the new mare. "Hello?" He asked and the horse put her head over the stall door and looked at the dog. "I'm Shep, welcome to Horseland."

The mare studied the dog before answering him. "Thank you, the blonde one called me Skye a few times." She told him.

"That's Will, he's a wonderful person." Shep praised the teenager.

Footsteps and hooves pounded against the stable's floor and Bailey, Molly and Alma untacked their horses before inspecting Skye. "Wow, that horse is pretty." Bailey commented. "Wonder what she's here for though. Let's go have food and ask Will, he seems to know." The three friends left after putting their tack in the tack room.

"Hello! I'm Aztec." Aztec called to Skye, Button and Calypso introducing themselves.

"The blonde one called me Skye."

The horses questioned Skye for a while and stopped when they heard the humans walk into the stable, each going to their horse and Will walked to Skye. "Hey, you ready to lunge Skye?" He asked her and walked into the stall, putting the head collar on her while the lunging rope was in his back pocket. He led her out of the stall and towards a smaller arena, starting to lunge Skye and gain her trust.


	11. Chapter 11

Skye had been at Horseland for two weeks and during that time she'd grown to trust humans again, learning that she didn't get whipped or punished if she did something wrong. She neighed happily when Will walked in to prepare their feed, delivering everyone's food to them and smoothing Skye when she finished. "I think we're ready for some weight training, what do you say?" He asked as he rubbed her nose, smiling when she snorted. "I'll be back, just need to let Scarlet and Blaze out." He told the mare before taking the mother and foal out to the field.

He walked back in and put the head collar on Skye, leading her out of the stable and passed Zoe and Chloe. "I don't see why you had a horse when you don't even ride." Zoe expressed her thoughts and Chloe elbowed her. "Ow! What did you do that for!" She exclaimed.

"Would you ride if you were in a coma? Or if Pepper-"Chloe cut herself off and looked at Will, seeing a distant expression on his face. Will brushed passed them towards the greenhouse distractedly. "Nice work Zoe." Chloe mocked before storming into the stable to groom Chilli.

Blaze ran to the fence Skye was tied to, nuzzling into her neck. "Hello sweetie." Skye greeted the foal with a smile and Scarlet walked towards them. "Hello Scarlet. Blaze, can I talk to your mom alone?" She asked with a smile and Blaze nodded, prancing around the field.

"What's wrong Skye?" Scarlet asked worriedly.

"Nothing, it's just I heard Zoe ask my boy why he got me when he didn't ride. Then Chloe said would she ride if she was in a coma, and then she stopped after saying Pepper." Sky explained with confusion in her expression. "Do you know what she meant?"

Scarlet looked downwards and sighed. "About 6 months ago Will had an accident with his horse Jimber during a jumping competition. Jimber knew what Will wanted, and Will knew when to stop pushing Jimber. They flew over the jumps in the individuals, but the sound system blew during the pair jumping. It was on the last jump, when Jimber was already jumping and it spooked him and Will. It spooked everyone in the crowd and the horses. Jimber landed with his leg out and Will fell off, Aztec and Bailey jumped over the fence and Aztec kicked Will's head before landing on his arm. Will was awake for a while but then he fell asleep, he didn't wake up for two months. After he woke up, he stayed away for another two months before coming back and he had a panic attack when he saw me, Calypso and Button. Weeks passed and then I went into labour with Blaze, Will sat with me through it all and he was terrified but he still stayed. The next day he rode Aztec, he rode him every day until you came here." Scarlet finished explaining and Skye looked down. "Will is a great rider, and teacher. When Sarah was sick for a week he taught me dressage, and he makes sure that everyone gets the rest they need, stopping our humans if they push us to hard."

Skye thought about what Scarlet told her when there was a thud beside her, turning to see it was Will putting five bag of soil on the floor. "There we go. Now, let's start getting this on you." He spoke softly as he picked a bag up, moving slowly so Skye could see everything he was doing but she moved when the bag was put on her back. "Easy girl, it's not going to hurt you." Will soothed and eventually Skye accepted the bag, Will picking up another before putting it on her back with the other. She lifted her head and neighed, it was different and she wasn't sure how to feel. "It's ok girl, it's ok." Will soothed as he rubbed her neck and rubbed her ear, making Skye relax under the affection. "I'll just go and get something, look after her Scarlet."

The mares watched Will walk into the barn. "What do I do Scarlet? This feels weird." Sky asked as she looked at the bags.

"It's to get you used to carrying things so it isn't a shock when Will rides you for the first time. I'm here with you, and Will knows what he's doing." Scarlet soothed and Will come back out, carrying a classical saddle and a saddle rug.

"Hey girl, let's see how you deal with this." He took the soil off Skye's back and put the rug onto her back before slowly lowering the saddle on, shushing Skye when her head lifted with a snort. "Easy girl, it's ok." Skye slowly got used to the saddle being on her.

Will slowly bent and pulled the girth under Skye's stomach, pulling it up so it lightly touched her stomach. "You're doing great Skye, it's nothing bad. The others wear these daily with their kids." Scarlet encouraged her.

Skye stood still, grunting when the girth got too tight. "Sorry girl, how's this?" Will asked and Skye burred in response, the feeling was foreign but natural at the same time. "You're such a good girl, let's take you for a walk." Will told her before untying the lead rope and walking Skye up the path before turning around and leading her back towards Scarlet. He tied the rope to the fence and pulled an apple from his pocket, praising Skye for how well she'd done. "Let's give you a break." Will said while petting the mare. Sky snorted and shook her head, pushing Will towards the soil. Will looked at her and picked a bag of soil up, watching as she nodded her head while she moved her neck towards her back. Will put the bag on her back, watching as she adjusted to the weight. He put another bag on her back and she took a while longer to adjust to the weight but when she did Will added another bag.

Over the course of two hours Skye was holding all five bags of soil with ease, at ease carrying them while walking around behind Will. "Let's get these off you for a while hey? Have some fun with Scarlet and Blaze?" Will smiled as Skye pushed against his shoulder with her nose. He took the soil off her back, the saddle and rug following. He led her into the field with Scarlet and unclipped the lead rope, keeping the head collar on her to be able to get her easier after he ate. He kissed her nose before leaving the field, walking towards the house for food.


	12. Chapter 12

The following day Will woke up but sat on his bed, smoothing Shep and biting his lip. "Well, looks like I'm going to ride a horse that isn't someone else's today." He told Shep and the collie looked up at him. Will smiled down at Shep before standing up, dressing in riding bottoms and a before he pulled on his riding boots and gloves. He looked at himself in the mirror and he saw the boy who had ridden daily before the accident. He looked at a picture of Jimber and sighed. "I'll never forget about you boy, never." He promised before he left his room, calling Shep and closing his door before running downstairs to get some breakfast, getting comments on his attire for the day. "You'll be seeing more of this." Was his answer to everyone who commented, every student he saw smiled at him as they tacked their horses.

He walked into the tack room and put the bridle on his shoulder while he picked up the saddle and walked to Skye's stall. "Morning girl, you ready for some riding?" He asked her and she neighed while nodding her head. I'll take that as a yes." He smiled and opened the stall door, quickly putting the bridle on her before lowering the saddle onto her back. He grabbed the reins and led the mare towards the smaller arena, walking in and closing the gate behind him. "Ok girl, you're going to feel my weight on your left side before it gets evened out." He explained before putting his foot in the stirrup, taking a deep breath before mounting the mare. He laughed when he was comfortable in the saddle and moved both reins into one hand, petting Skye's neck. "Now, you walk forward when I squeeze my legs." He applied pressure evenly and Skye took a hesitant step forward, continuing when Will praised her.

Will taught her how to respond when he pulled the reins, praising her when she did it right and tapping her side with his heal when she made a mistake. He walked Skye towards the area fence before dismounting. "Good girl, shall we get Scarlet in for a ride?" he asked her as he smoothed her neck and the mare nodded. Will picked up the lead rope tied around the fence and clipped it to Skye's bridle. "Wait here girl, I'll be back soon." He promised before leaving the arena to tack Scarlet, it had been long enough and he'd had the go ahead from Dr Martin to ride her.

Shep walked towards Skye with Teeny behind him. "That was great Skye! Was that the first time with a rider?" He praised and asked.

"Thanks Shep, yeah it was. It's not as bad as I thought it would be." She answered and Shep smiled.

"Yes, Will is the best for first time horses." Angora said off handily as she approached after her cat nap.

Will walked towards the arena with a fully tacked Scarlet, Blaze following the fence in the field. He walked Scarlet into the arena and closed the gate, mounting Scarlet easily. He immediately moved her to walk, moving her to trot after a few seconds. Within five minutes Scarlet was galloping around the ring with Will at ease in the saddle. He slowed Scarlet to a walk before halting by Skye, letting go of the reins so Scarlet could drink. He leant over and patted Skye, praising her for standing. "Do you want to see dressage girl?" He asked her and she whinnied. He pulled Scarlet's head up and walked her to the middle, directing her in the previous year's competition routine.

The day passed with Will alternating horses, getting into all his previous loves apart from western and jumping. He untacked Scarlet and put her in the field with Blaze, smiling when they reunited. He put Scarlet's tack away and walked back to Skye, untying her and grabbing her reins to take her into the field with the Scarlet and Blaze. The mare stopped, moving her head towards her back for Will to mount her. Will sighed and mounted the mare, pushing her to a walk out of the arena. He stopped her by the field and stayed mounted as he watched Bailey and the rest of his friends doing low jumps in the main arena. "I miss that." He whispered to himself and Skye moved towards the arena at her own accord. "No Skye, let's get you into the field." He told her gently but she shook her head and stomped by the arena.

"Hey Will!" Bailey called when he saw his cousin by the gate. "Want to join us?" He asked without thinking, his face turning to panic when he realised what he said.

Will looked at his hands with a sigh, longing to jump but Skye wasn't ready. Skye stomped and neighed loudly, nodding her head. "I think she wants to." Molly laughed and Will dismounted, opening the arena gate and Skye walked in before he closed the gate.

He mounted Skye and they walked towards the group. He saw the lowest jump and patted Skye's neck, losing himself as he ordered his horse towards the jump naturally. Skye jumped the low jump with ease, a rush filling her as she realised what she'd done. Will shook his head when there was cheering, looking behind him to see the fresh landing point he and Skye made. "Good girl." He praised while he still directed her around the arena in a trot. "Wanna try the next one?" He asked quietly as he changed course and straight towards the normal sized jump. Time seemed to slow as his body got into position for the jump naturally, his mind preparing for what was coming. He stared straight ahead and held his breath as Skye lifted off the ground, letting it out when she was a few paces away from the jump.

He heard cheers around him and saw students clapping and cheering, horses rearing happily. He looked down and flushed at the attention. He watched as everyone jumped, pointing out what they had to do to improve their jumps. He looked down and felt a strange peace as he saw Skye's head before he looked to the sky with a small, sad smile where he knew Jimber was.

Skye neighed and he petted her neck, happy to be on a horse again and he knew that this is where he belonged.

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 **Well, we have reached the end of this story ;-; I will do a sequel if you want me to, just let me know in a review. See you all in the next story I do, even if it's not a Horseland story :) Bye, see you guys next time :)**

 **If you have any oneshot/multi-chapter stories that you want to see just let me know :)**


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